the Heavenly Demons
by fantascination
Summary: Akaisha Rookwood is a vampire, a Death Eater and a Snatcher, working in Greyback's gang of scavengers. When faced with what you've known and what is real, how do you accept what is real? ScabiorOC. Violence, mild language, some sensuality.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter I- The Beginning Of the End

_Hurry up, Snape, we haven't got all day._

I twiddled my thumbs absently, staring up at the suspended corpse with a subdued sort of fascination. I recognized her as Charity Burbage, teacher for Muggle Studies. I'd never liked the subject much- Muggles were awfully boring, in my opinion- and seeing the teacher suspended in the air, obviously there for some sinister plot unfolding, didn't bug me much.

The Dark Lord was quiet, stroking the head of that foul snake of his. Greyback shifted beside me, obviously as antsy as I was. My chest and throat were burning slightly, kind of like how you wake up in the morning in desperate need of something to drink.

And that was exactly it- I hadn't had a drink in a week now. Being a vampire wasn't exactly the funnest thing in the world. The excruciating pain in the sunlight, the constant need to drain random people, and not to mention exile from the normal Wizarding population made my life a living hell.

I'd started traveling with Greyback and his cronies a few months after I'd graduated from Hogwarts. People didn't expect much of me- I'd come out of school with an Outstanding in Potions and Exceeds Expectations in everything else. And I hadn't gotten that Outstanding till Slughorn took the job, either. I loathed Snape, and I was pretty sure he didn't exactly love me either.

"Yaxley. Snape." The Dark Lord said in that high, clear voice of his. "You are very nearly late."

No shit, Noseless Wonder.

"Severus-" the Dark Lord pointed to the seat next to him on the right, then indicated the seat beside Dolohov, across from me. "Yaxley- beside Dolohov."

The men took their allotted places, and I took to examining my nails.

"So?"

"My Lord, the Order of the Pheonix intends to move Harry Potter from his current place of safety on Saturday next, at nightfall." Snape let some hair fall over his eyes. "Saturday...at nightfall." Voldemort repeated, having what appeared to me as a staring contest with Snape.

"Good. Very good. And this information comes...?"

"From the source we discussed."

"My Lord." Yaxley interrupted. I looked up at him, the stabbing pain in my throat intensifying as I focused on a human.

"My Lord, I have heard differently." Yaxley said in his most sycophantic tone, and continued when Voldemort did not reply.

"Dawlish, the Auror, let slip that the Potter boy will not be moved until the thirtieth, the night before the boy turns seventeen."

Snape was smiling by then. "My sources told me there are plans to lay a false trail; this must be it. No doubt a Confundus Charm has been placed upon Dawlish. It would not be the first time; he is known to be quite susceptible." Snape's tone was smug.

"I assure you, My Lord, he seemed quite certain." Yaxley snapped, irritated now.

"If he has been Confunded, naturally he is certain. I assure _you_, Yaxley, the Auror Office will play no further part in the protection of Harry Potter. The Order brlieves that we have infiltrated the Ministry."

"Order's got one thing right, then, eh?" a squat Death Eater whose name I couldn't recall cackled. I chuckled, and, from the low vibration coming from Greyback's chest, I assumed he had, too.

Voldemort didn't laugh, however, only looked up at Burbage.

"Dawlish believes an entire party of Aurors will be used to transfer the boy-" Yaxley began, but Voldemort silenced him with a finger. "Where are they going to hide the boy next?"

"At the home of one of the Order. This place, according to the source, has been given every protection that the Order and Ministry together could provide. I think there is little chance of taking him once he is there, my Lord, unless, of course, the Ministry has fallen before next Saturday, which might give us the opportunity to discover and undo enough of the enchantments to break through the rest."

Damn, Snape was good at droning on.

"Well, Yaxley?" ill-humor illuminated Voldemort's eyes. "Will the Ministry have fallen by next Saturday?"

Yaxley cleared his throat and said proudly, "My Lord, I have good news on that score. I have- with difficulty, and after great effort- succeeded in placing an Imperius Curse upon Pius Thicknesse."

There was a general murmur of impressed people- Dolohov clapped the stout man on the back, and I clapped a few times out of general tact.

"It is a start." Voldemort murmured. "But Thicknesse is only one man. Scrimgeour must be surrounded by our people before I act. One failed attempt on the Minister's life will set me back a long way."

"Yes, My Lord, that is true, but you know Thicknesse has regular contact not only with the Minister himself, but also with the Heads of all the other Ministry departments. I think it will be easy now that we have such a high-ranking official under our control, to subjugate the others, and then they can all work together to bring Scrimgeour down." Yaxley piped up.

"As long as our friend Thicknesse is not discovered before he has converted the rest," Voldemort said thoughtfully, "At any rate, it remains unlikely that the Ministry will be mine before next Saturday."

Again, Voldemort looked up at the slowly revolving body with a fascinated expression. "I shall attend to the boy in person. There have been too many mistakes where Harry Potter is concerned. Some of them have been my own. That Potter lives is due more to my errors than to his triumph."

I watched Voldemort apphrehensively, and he spoke again. "I must be the one to kill Harry Potter, and I shall be."

A wail of pain and terror pierced the silence that followed his words. Burbage had cried out, for whatever goddamn reason, and for some reason, that irritated me.

"Wormtail. Have I not spoken to you about keeping our prisoner quiet?" Voldemort snapped.

Peter Pettigrew, a short, mousy man, squeaked, "Yes, m-my Lord." and scrambled from the room, perhaps to fetch his wand.

"As I was saying," Voldemort said irritatedly, "I shall need to borrow a wand from one of you before I go to kill Potter.'

I secured my wand in my belt loop, covering it with my coat.

"No volunteers?" Voldemort smirked. "Let's see...Lucius, I see no reason for you to have a wand anymore."

Lucius Malfoy looked up, his face waxy and gaunt. "M'Lord?" he whispered, barely audible.

"Your wand, Lucius. I require your wand."

"I..." he looked over at Narcissa, who nodded quickly. He produced his wand and passed it along the table to Voldemort, who fingered it as if it were his own.

"What is it?"

"Elm."

"And the core?"

"Dragon heartstring, My Lord."

Draco was gazing up at the body, a disgruntled expression on his face. I smirked over at him, but he didn't see me.

Wormtail returned then with a wand, and Burbage spoke.

"S-Severus..." she pleaded, looking into the unfathomable man's eyes. "Severus, please..."

Voldemort pointed his wand at the woman and said calmly, "_Avada Kedavra_."

Charity Burbage fell to the table with a groan from the table. I instinctively slid back several inches, and noted I wasn't the only one. Draco was now sitting on the floor.

Eerily, like a ribbon, the giant snake slid onto the table towards the woman.

"Dinner, Nagini." Voldemort stroked his snake with a long white finger as it went by once more.

a/n:

first sequel. i really don't know how i'm going to do with this.

I'M BEGGING YOUUUUU: if Akaisha's a Mary-Sue, TELL MEEE. I know the whole vampire thing screws up any chance of her being decent, i guess, but i'm trying not to make her like Meyer's pansies.

And i did say I'd post this when it was done, but i changed my mind. :P  
review and you get a virtual cookie! :D


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II

Good Riddance

"You'd best take that back, leech."

I bared my teeth at the Snatcher. You'd think being around Greyback for long enough would have beaten some respect into them, but they were as bold as brass.

I sat on the couch/bed, running a hand through my hair. It got caught about halfway through, and I didn't try to comb out the knots. I never brushed my hair- with all the running and catching and fighting Snatchers did, combined with hunting and just the rural lifestyle we lived, it was pointless to comb it through every day when it would only get messy. Usually I just wet it down, taking a shower when I got a chance. Thirst wasn't a major issue at the moment- I'd grabbed an errant drunkard on the way here. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Now, the Snatchers Greyback had dragged along were being noisy, and I was starting to get a headache. Greyback was out doing whatever it was he did and Scabior was reading, as if the two other men with us weren't being total wackjobs. Scabior and I had a strange relationship- I was closer to him than the rest of the men in this gang, and he was the only one who didn't doubt me due to my gender. I liked Scabior, even if he was a little scatterbrained. Sometimes it felt like Scabior felt for me in a different way, though I couldn't be sure.

"What're you reading?" I murmured, leaning over.

"Some young adult romance novel. Found it in the purse of that girl you hunted earlier."

"What's it called?"

He held the cover up so it faced me- it read _Hush Hush._

_"_Didn't know you read young adult romance stories, Scabior."

"I don't, usually. I lean more towards Stephen King."

I laughed, leaning back onto the pillow as the door slammed.

"Where've you been?" I asked Greyback as he sauntered in.

"Why do you care?"

"I guess I don't, really. Just wondering."

"I don't pick fights with drunkasses in bars, like you."

"You're hilarious."

Scabior snorted. I _had_ gotten into fights with less-than-sober men before, usually when they came at me with those lust-clouded eyes and calling me names, like _sweetheart_ and _darling..._I didn't tolerate that at all, and I made sure people knew it, too. One of the Snatchers looked over at me, confusion and something else twisting his face.

What, could this kid read my mind or something?

I could never be sure of the people Greyback scrounged up.

I leaned back, staring at the ceiling. Nights like this were uneventful, save for the occasional fight that would occasionally turn violent, and those weren't anything to look forward to. Hell hath no fury like Fenrir Greyback when he's in a temper.

So that was how I spent my night, staring at the ceiling and wishing I could see the stars.

a/n:

filler chapter, i know. next chapter is Akaisha's backstory! 8D

giant thanks to MarkStrongFan for the review and the follow. here's your virtual cookie i promised you. -give-


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III-

Artificial, Automatic

The following night passed slowly. I lied on the couch, saying nothing other than when asked, and mainly keeping to myself. Greyback and Scabior left often, sometimes together or other times apart, and the two other Snatchers tried to bug me into talking to them. I thought both of them were annoying and rather demanding, but I didn't say so. Fighting with people had gotten me nowhere I wanted to go.

Instead, I racked through the memories in my head, reduced by boredom to do so.

_A young woman, youthful and smiling, pushing a small redhaired girl on a swing-_

Mom. I missed her, missed her a lot. The last time I saw her was when she let me go on the train to Hogwarts, when I was eleven. She'd been frail, weak with leukemia- I got an owl from my father, who I hadn't seen since I was 3, that she hadn't lived past the next week.

_Laughing, children swirling around on the playground like angry bees, giggling and chasing and screaming. It hurt my ears._

The loveliness of adolescence. Oh, sigh.

_Wandering down an alleyway, clutching the books required for sixth year and feeling uneasy going down Knockturn Alley. I'd seen more than my share of shady characters around there, and-_

_"Hello, my pretty."_

I squeezed my eyes shut. I wouldn't remember that, not now. Not what I'd sworn to shun for the rest of my existence.

_"Going somewhere, beautiful?"_

No. I was done with that. I wouldn't stand to think of it anymore.

_"Come here, pretty, let me take that load off your shoulders." Teeth as white as the clouds I could no longer see, the man approached me._ _I backed up several paces, tripping over my own feet and then breaking into a run._

Nothing beyond that. I wouldn't relive the horror, the- the _pain _ of it.

_But I wasn't fast enough for the man. He caught me by the hair, jerking my head back, and I screamed, "__**Help!" **__Still nothing. No one would hear me now._

_"Delightful." the man breathed into my ear, sour like blood and copper. I struggled in his iron grip. Someone would hear my screams, come and help me. Blaise or an Auror or something-_

I cringed then, recalling the sharp pain just below my ear and the violent stabbing pain all over me, the shrill screams that were obviously mine. The shock, the horror, as no one came to look for me.

_Sauntering down the snowy streets, the fire in my throat impossibly intense. I'd never experienced this level of pain before, but I had adjusted to it. I could hear everything- snoring, deep breathing, the sound of blood pumping through veins. The low hum of voices, two drunk bums singing terribly off-key. I'd find them, do Hogsmeade a favor._

_ And I did find them, snapped their necks with more than enough ease. It was so easy to just let go._

I rolled onto my side, sighing at what I knew would come next.

_"Hello, girly."_

_I looked up at the man. He had a slightly repelling odor to him, though that was probably just me. It was too faint for a human to notice._

_"You a student?" he cocked an eyebrow._

_"I'm graduating in two weeks."_

_"A student, then. Listen, girly-"_

_"I got a name, __**dude**_. _Akaisha Rookwood."_

_He grinned then, showing yellowing teeth. "Rookwood. I know a Rookwood. Augustus."_

_I was surprised at that. "Yeah, he's my stepbrother."_

_"Ah. So you're related to a Death Eater?"_

_"Uh, yeah."_

_"May I ask why you snapped these poor men's necks?"_

_"Because I'm thirsty. I'm a vampire."_

_"I suspected that. Well, __**Akaisha**__, The Dark Lord's looking for people like you."_

_"Is that supposed to be an invitation to get a skull burned on my arm?"_

_He laughed. "You could put it that way. My name's Greyback."_

+...+

_"Akaisha Rookwood, vampire, stepbrother of the Death Eater Augustus Rookwood. Pureblood." Voldemort looked at me, crimson eyes and face paler than even mine. I nodded, feeling uneasy, and then cringed as there was a burning sensation on my arm. "Welcome to Voldemort's army."_

I scowled at this. I hadn't exactly wanted to be part of any 'army', but, with what I was, what choice did I have?

_"I know nothing, nothing!"_

_I glared down at the man. "You know __**something**__!"_

_"I swear to God, woman, I don't know where he is!"_

_"Liar! __**Crucio**__!"_

_The man's screams filled my ears like music, and it filled me with a sort of vindictive satisfaction._

_"Please! I don't know anything!"_

_"You're lying, filthy little cockroach! You know where he is!" My voice had gone shrill with fury. Never, ever had I been so infuriated in my life._

_"Please, Rookwood, I swear to you I know nothing of him!" my uncle looked at me, pleading, begging silently._

_"Liar. He told you where he was going to go."_

_"If you want your father, go find him yourself!"_

_"You're going to tell me what you know first! __**Crucio!**__"_

_My father's only brother shrieked and writhed beneath me._

_"Where did he go? Answer me!"_

_"I don't know! Please!"_

_"Crucio!"_

_I was nearly insane with rage. I'd never tortured anyone in my life, but damn, it felt good._

_"I don't know!"_

_I was disgusted, and I was disappointed. Guess nothing was going to come out of this after all. I directed my wand at the man again._

_"Avada Kedavra."_

I sighed, leaning back to stare at the ceiling again. I certainly didn't regret torturing or killing the man- he knew where my father was, and yet he wouldn't tell me. I'd always been disgusted with my family- the only one I'd ever remotely cared about was my mother, and I'd lost her. I still wondered where my father was, though I wasn't quite as determined to find him as I had been father was disgusted with me, and I him.

I didn't care about that. I was a Death Eater now. I didn't need to.

a/n:

So, not a very intricate backstory like I intended. thanks again to MarkStrongFan, you rock Dobby's socks. :D

Review, fave, blah blah blah. I'm sorry it's kind of boring. this next chapter will be a bit more action-y, i promise :)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV- Sure As Hell Didn't See That Coming

We had to take off the following morning. According to the ever-so-helpful Snape, they were planning to move the boy tonight, and I had been chosen to participate in the chase. While Greyback and Scabior had declined the offer, they decided it would be wise to check out before the hotel keeper got suspicious- which wouldn't surprise me if she did. Four grungy, sinister-looking men and a pale, red-eyed (though I tried to hide that from humans) girl would probably stir suspicion in most.

Greyback gave me the name of the area they planned to head to, and they Disapparated (but not before Scabior quickly pecked me on the nose), leaving me alone to find Augustus.

And I did find him, eventually- he was leaning against a grimy, worn-down building with plywood covering the windows, a cigarette dangling from his hands.

"Hey." I called once within hearing range.

He looked at me, dark grey eyes and somewhat greasy dark brown hair, and smiled, flicking some ashes onto the concrete. "Hey, punky."

I smiled at my half-brother. I'd always liked Augustus- he was a bit more outgoing and friendly than most of the Death Eaters, and he wasn't prejudiced against me or the people I hung around, for which I was grateful. He was 37, 16 years older than me, and we were related by my side- my father, Harvey Black, an adopted sibling of Bellatrix and Narcissa, had left my mom and remarried Augustus's mother before taking off on her, too. They'd never officially ended the marriage, so technically, they were still married. Augustus considered me his stepsister, thrilled to have a sibling, and I felt the same way.

"Hey, Augustus." I murmured, giving him an impersonal one-armed hug. "How's my favorite stepsister?"

"Your only stepsister, Aug. I'm fine. What about you? You look a bit unkempt."

"Ah, those charming Aurors are looking for me. I can't stay in one place for more than twenty-four hours. Concealment charms only last so long."

"That really sucks."

We walked in silence, waiting for it to be eight o'clock. "What are you doing in this dump, anyway?" he asked me.

"I don't know. Greyback has a knack for picking out really shitty spots."

"How is he, anyway?"

"Same he always is."

"Ah."

The nice thing about Augustus was that he didn't probe, so I didn't have to worry about answering awkward questions.

"So, why'd you sign up for this, anyway?"

"I'm bored, and I haven't been helping out much. Something to do, isn't it?"

"I'd agree with you, except for you're resorting to life-threatening situations to cure your boredom."

I chuckled. "Oh, well."

It reached eight finally- some drunkasses across the road had just started causing an uproar- and Augustus suggested we Disapparate. I agreed rather fervently- drunk people unnerved me.

The squeezing, terrifying darkness, and then we appeared in a long, darkened hallway- Malfoy Manor, only to be expected.

"This way."

I trusted Augustus to know the way better than I did. He did know where he was going, too- a second later, he pulled me into a large, ornate sitting room.

"It's me." Augustus snapped when Lucius pointed his wand into my brother's face.

I leaned against the wall, ignoring the quiet murmur of Death Eaters.

"Can you use a broom, Akaisha?" Bellatrix's voice was slightly snide.

"No. I can't sit my ass on a piece of wood and fly it. Of course I can use a broom, Trix."

And I could- I had been a Beater on the Slytherin team until I'd graduated.

"Our operation is going to be easy. They will all be guarding Potter, so take down the ones guarding him first. Then let me take care of Potter." Voldemort smiled vindictively. I sighed, looking down at my feet.

"No one but me will fire a Killing Curse at Harry Potter. Stun him, jinx him- I do not care. Make sure he remains alive."

My feet shuffled against the gravel. It'd been four years since I'd flown a broom, and I was just beginning to regain my confidence. Augustus was being funny beside me- swinging around the handle of the broom, making me and a multitude of Death Eaters around us laugh.

"Three-" Lucius shouted from behind me. I planted my feet, ready to kick off.

"Two-" Augustus had stopped goofing around now. He was as concentrated as I was.

"ONE."

I kicked off the ground, my hood almost whipping off as the freezing air hit me. I swung around freely, almost happily, over the small twinkling lights below me.

And then I saw it- a multitude of people rising, on brooms and skeletal black horses and, in one case, an airborne motorbike. This must have been it, then- our targets.

I leaned forward on the boom, willing it to move faster, and swung deftly over what looked like Potter.

It hadn't been ten seconds after we hit the party when chaos erupted.

Bangs, flashes of green and red light on every side, and screams. I fumbled for my hand, pointing it at the back of what looked like Nymphadora Tonks. The Dark Lord had told me to kill those around him, so I would.

The thing was, Harry Potter was gripping Tonks's waist, and I swore I'd just passed him.

Another bang of red light, and something hit me squarely in the jaw. My broom jerked uncontrollably for a moment beneath me, and Augustus screeched, "No! _Bastard_!"

For a moment, I nearly lost hold on my broom. My fingers slipped on the varnished wood, and I nearly fell, holding on for dear life. My broom was stable again- I was guessing someone had tried to jinx my broom.

Then I passed Harry _again_- in a sidecar next to the gamekeeper, Hagrid.

How many Harry Potters were there?

It came to me as I sped up, aiming my wand at Tonks again. We'd been tricked- there was more than one potter. Imitation charm, or Polyjuice Potion, maybe. But there was more than one Harry Potter in the skies tonight.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" I shrieked, pointing at Tonks, but something hit me in the side, hard- a thestral, with someone whose face I couldn't catch. My wand flew at the same time the curse did, nearly slipping from my hand, and the jet of green light hit the sidecar of the motorbike instead. It spun, a broomstick falling from it's depths, and one of the Potters caught an owl cage and a rucksack.

That was him, then. He had the owl, a broomstick, and a bag. That must have been him. My Killing Curse hit the owl, and, with a sudden clank, it hit the bottom.

I could not feel remorse for killing the animal- people were firing jinxes and curses at me, and I couldn't let my focus waver. I shot another Killing Curse at who I recognized as Moody, who dodged it neatly and sent a Stunning Spell in my direction.

Then, from the exhaust pipe of the motorbike, a solid brick wall erupted. I swerved around it last minute, a scream escaping my lips reflexively. From above me, Shunpike avoided it, and I saw Augustus looking back at it nervously- a Death Eater hadn't been so lucky.

I swerved my broom around, flying full speed for the unconscious Death Eater. I caught him by the robes, hoisting him up onto my broom, and shoved him into another Death Eater's arms.

"Disapparate, get him out of here." I snarled, and the young man nodded sheepishly. I could be sufficiently scary when I needed to be, apparently.

I aimed for Hagrid this time, shooting a Killing Curse in his direction. Stan Shunpike joined me in the act, but both of us missed. A net burst from the exhaust pipe- just how much shit did this wackjob have up that bike?- and I barely missed it.

With a deafening roar, dragon fire burst from the exhaust, burning me on the arm. I shrieked in agony, twisting away from the fire and sufficiently putting out the small flame on my robes. Fire was one of a vampire's greatest weaknesses- it was one of the few things that could kill me.

The sidecar broke away from the bike with a bang, and someone in the background laughed vindictively. Potter was pointing his wand at him, shouting something, making it airborne. Then he pointed his wand directly at me and shouted, "Impedimenta!"

I stumbled back over my broom and began to lose height, scampering back onto the slippery wood. Then Potter pointed his wand at the sidecar and yelled, "Confringo!"

The sidecar blew up, knocking a Death Eater I knew to be Avery off his broom. I fell back, still after Hagrid. Shunpike sent a Stunning Spell at Potter and I shrieked as loud as I could, "That's him, it's him, it's the real one!"

The dragon fire burst from the exhaust pipe again, and I was sure to dodge it. The sidecar was too quick for me, though, and I retreated as they disappeared. I kept flying. My mind completely blank, I screamed, "_Avada-_"

There was a burst of yellow light, and I shrieked in agony as something burned my face. "_No!_" Voldemort's all-too-familiar voice screeched at me, and a Death Eater named Sewlyn swung around me.

Voldemort screamed again, "Your wand, Sewlyn, give me your wand!"

The sidecar vanished, and Voldemort stopped. I hung onto my broom for dear life, breathing heavily. Sewlyn had fallen several feet- I could see no other Death Eater around us. I felt a gut-wrenching pang of panic and fear for my brother- where was Augustus?

"Hey! Vampire chick!" Sewlyn snapped at me as Voldemort screeched in rage. "We've got to go, we've got to get out of here! Come _on,_ woman!"

Shooting a glare at him, I focused all my mind on Malfoy Manor, and Disapparated.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter V- The Fallen

I fell onto the gravel, gasping. Sewlyn was right behind me- he crumpled to the ground some twenty feet ahead of me. Voldemort was still nowhere to be found.

"You're really as mad as they say, woman. What the hell were you playing at, sitting there? You-Know-Who was about to blow a gasket!"

I glared at Sewlyn, lifting myself onto my knees. "_I _was sitting there? So were you!"

"I was trying to get you back into your mind, idiot!"

I stood up, brushing dirt and blood off my robes. Sewlyn was stumbling towards the house, and I had a strong urge to kick him in the back of the neck. He was positioned perfectly to do so.

I followed him, keeping my composure, unlike the other Death Eater with me

When we got back into the sitting room of Malfoy Manor, there was an uproar. Some sighed- relief, exasperation, even fear- and people were asking questions. Where Voldemort was, what had happened, so on and so forth.

Augustus found me first- he bearhugged me, and I hugged him back softly, punching his arm in the process.

"Damn you for leaving me like that." I growled.

"I know, I'm sorry. I thought I had you good and proper, was going to Disapparate with you. Turns out I'd gotten hold of Macnair and not you, though."

"Oh, well." I shrugged, easing my way out of his arms.

more of the Death Eaters were bearing physical injury than not. Dolohov and Avery both were sporting burn marks, like the one on my arm. Bellatrix sported a nasty gash across one cheek. Even Augustus was looking a little worn.

"Where's The Dark Lord?" panic reflected in Bellatrix's wide, quickly moving eyes. She always made me nervous, the way she looked around so quickly and moved so suddenly.

"I don't know. He was about to throw a fit when I left." I shrugged, avoiding her eyes.

I twiddled my thumbs absently, watching the blonde. He kept his eyes directed mostly at the floor, though I'd catch them flicking up nervously to look at me, and then shooting back down when he realized I'd caught him.

I made Draco Malfoy nervous. It was clear as day.

I crossed my legs and pulled a cigarette from the pack in my back pocket. Smoking was a habit I'd carried on into my vampirism, though it really had no effect on me seeing as I was basically dead. Draco edged away from me, lips mouthing words he was probably to scared to say out loud.

Narcissa had left me in charge of 'babysitting' my cousin, though the task itself didn't take much effort. Why Draco's mother trusted her son with a vampire, I'll never know.

I myself was enjoying it quite a bit. Rude and mean-spirited as it was, I enjoyed watching people squirm. It was kind of funny to watch their reactions. I pushed the cigarette between my lips, smirking slightly.

"You look uneasy." I noted, flicking the end of the cigarette towards the marble ashtray.

"Ngh." Still no words. Surprise, surprise.

"Jesus Christ, boy, don't you say _anything_?"

he looked me, the corner of his mouth twitching down said nothing.

I sighed, leaning back against the counter. "For all anyone knew, kiddo, you could be mute."

"Don't call me kiddo. I'm only 5 years younger than you." he snapped, eyes narrowing, blonde strands of hair falling over said eyes.

"That makes you a kid to me. I''m going to be around _much _longer than you."

Draco's hands clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. Obviously, my 'condition' was not something he felt comfortable talking about.

If he felt comfortable talking about anything at all.

"Did my mother tell you when she's getting home?" he was nervous again, uneasy. He wanted her to come home so I'd get off his back.

"Nope." I popped my lips on the 'p', blowing out a puff of smoke. He glared at the cigarette.

"Put that out. This is my house, I don't want you stinking it up."

I smirked. "Your dad told me it was okay if I smoked in the kitchen."

he scowled. Assessment #2: Draco Malfoy did not like me at all.

I hoisted myself up onto the counter, eyeing the seventh year boy with poorly disguised disdain. What was with this kid?

"You gonna say anything friendly, kiddo?"

"Don't call me that!"

"I'll call you whatever the hell I want to, kiddo."

Draco could snap at me all he wanted. I knew he wouldn't actually try anything on me. Aunt Bella had tamed this boy well.

"Why the hell are you still here anyway?" his voice was sharp, bitter.

"I'll leave when my brother leaves." I said, then snapped a little irritatedly, "Look at me when I'm talking to you, boy."

God, that bugged me. I couldn't _stand _it when people didn't look at me when I addressed them.

"I don't have to."

The rest of the afternoon went something like that, him occasionally making some smartass comment, and me usually smarting right back to him. I didn't like Draco, and he just didn't like me.

The other Death Eaters were a whole other story. If I was being truthful to myself, which I often wasn't, I was scared of a few of them- Bellatrix, for instance, terrified me, and, though I'd never say it to his face, Greyback tended to scare me sometimes. In the world of Death Eaters, you couldn't show your fear. That would automatically mark you as weak, as vulnerable. I refused to be weak. My father had already had enough fun trying to prove both Augustus and I as weak people, and I wouldn't let him drag me down again.

I wouldn't let anyone drag me down.

A/N:

OMFG, I AM SO SORRY ABOUT NOT UPDATING.

So I moved to Michigan from Colorado with a 2-year-old, a 1-year-old, a newborn, 2 dogs, a cat, and my parents. and me. .

and then Dad refused to get my laptop till 'he got around to it', which was like, three weeks after we moved in.

But I'm back. Finally.

Due to a rather humorous incident on dA...

(c) madcarrot for her design of Augustus. I do not own the DE designs. If you want an idea of what I imagined the death eaters to look like, go look at madcarrot's DE Cards on dA. They kick some serious ass.

and i love the way she draws Augustus. 8D

Anyway...i'll be updating again. sorry again for the wait.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter VI

Lazy Days

As much as I'd've liked to, I couldn't stick around forever. I made the Malfoys antsy, and I wasn't going to push my presence on them.

Augustus was disappointed I was leaving so soon; we hardly got to see each other these days.

"It makes me nervous when you go away." he told me quietly. "Then I have to sit here, paranoid that I'm not going to see you again."

I only nodded, unwilling to admit that I felt exactly the same way.

We were camping out in the Forest of Dean; we couldn't stay in hotels the whole time. It was one of those tents that were a lot bigger than they looked; Undetectable Extension Charms were fairly easy to work once you got the hang of it.

Greyback was sitting on the floor, leaning against the end of the couch with his eyes closed, deep in thought. Scabior was lying on the couch lazily, one arm thrown over his eyes, his leg over the side of the couch; I couldn't be sure if he was sleeping or if he was just lazing around. The other two Snatchers were sitting at the table, deep in conversation.

Deveraux was 25, and had come in just before I had. He was tall and thin, and, to be honest, ridiculously handsome. We couldn't go anywhere with him; girls just melted when they saw him. His hair was collar-length and inky black, his eyes a bright, piercing blue. He had an easy smile, and when he did smile, it made most people want to cry. He was just _cute_, and he knew it.

Peakes, the last of us to become a Snatcher, was the same age as me, 23, and looked much younger than he really was. His hair was sandy blonde and cut unevenly, framing his oval face. His eyes were light hazel-brown, always warm and glowing. He had somewhat childish features- large, round eyes, full lips, and a rounder sort of face. He was Deveraux's best friend- those two were joined at the hip. Never one without the other.

Deveraux smiled at me when I came in. He and Peakes were playing cards on the floor by the couch, next to Greyback. It looked like Peakes was winning.

"How'd it go?" Deveraux asked me as I sat down next to Scabior, tucking my legs under his. He raised his arm and smiled at me, then let it fall again. Something fluttered in my stomach.

"Good- well, not really," I said, leaning back. "We didn't catch Potter, obviously. The Dark Lord blew a gasket, knocked down a telephone pole. Wiped out the Muggle lights for about ten miles all around."

Deveraux grimaced, then let out a yelp as Peakes laid out the winning card and whooped.

I looked back at Scabior, hoping nobody knew I was looking at him. He was a good-looking thing, rivaling Deveraux in looks- his hair was long and tangled, pulled back at the nape of his neck like my brother's. He was rather badly shaven- all of the men were- and he had shadows under his eyes because he took watch at night. His eyes were a strange color- blue, almost gray, with a hint of green near the edges. He was tall, slender in frame- more slender than the rest of the guys here, anyway- and not as muscular as the rest of them.

I jerked my head back into place at the same time he pulled his arm away again to look at me. Staring was rude- my father had been enough of a father to teach me that. I let my head fall back, closing my eyes and tuning out the playful argument that Deveraux and Peakes had started about the outcome of their game. Just resting, for once.

A/N:

sorry about the giant lack of updating. I had a giant writer's block, and we had a family death. Finally seeing DH2 inspired me to keep going and not put this on hiatus like i was about to.

Thank you for all the reviews! :)

Please, please, please do not favorite without leaving a review!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter VII

As it turns out, Voldemort had called the Death Eaters back- the day after he'd sent us out, no less- but Greyback had managed to get me out of it by telling Voldemort he needed me for something. This, of course, was a total lie. We'd managed to catch three groups of Mudbloods since Voldemort went out into the open, which was really pitiful. With five people, two of them supernatural beings, you'd think we'd have a bit more luck.

Greyback came up with a better method for tracking people- when I came in from guarding the tent, he had a smug smirk on his face, which usually meant he had done something clever.

"What're you so happy about?" I asked him warily.

"Scabior and I figured out how to put a Taboo on the Dark Lord's name," he said smugly.

"Which means...? What the hell is a Taboo?"

Greyback sighed. "Did you pay any attention when you went to school? A Taboo means nobody can say the Dark Lord's name without us knowing about it. The only people who say his name are the Order of the Phoenix, people like that. The people we want."

I nodded. I had to give him credit- it was a smart idea. "And how exactly will we know when someone says the Dark Lord's name?"

"There'll be a noise, a loud one, and if we Apparate within sixty seconds of the noise it'll take us wherever the idiots are. Handy, huh?"

I nodded. "Pretty slick."

We were camping in the Forest of Dean, which was rainy and gloomy. I didn't mind the rain- better than the burning sun- but it gave off a gloomy, hopeless air that wasn't so pleasant. Sometimes I wished Greyback would smile more, wished the shadows would vanish from under Scabior's eyes. We were in a stressful time, and I knew things wouldn't get better until Potter was dead and Voldemort had free reign. Things wouldn't get better if Potter won; we'd all be herded in and chucked into the dementor hole. I could run, that was true; I was going to be around forever, young and fast and strong. I could run.

But what about the people I loved? Augustus, Greyback? What would they do? Would I be able to take them with me when the time came, if, by some miracle, Potter managed to kill Voldemort? How would I be able to keep them in tow? Greyback would be easy to stick to- we'd stuck together for six years now. He could evade capture just as effectively as I could.

But what about the humans I had ties to? Augustus? I could bite him, I supposed, but he might not want that. And what about Scabior? He was slowly growing to be the person I was closest to, aside from Greyback. I wanted him to be safe, didn't I? What would he do?

I sighed, letting my head fall back. There was so much to think about, so many things that could go wrong, that I was getting a headache. My best hope was to cross my fingers, do my best to make sure Voldemort won, and then go from there.

The Taboo, it turns out, did make a noise- a very loud one.

It was piercing, shrill sort of ringing, and it made all of us jump out of our skin. The closest thing I could compare it to was a little girl's scream, though it was flat and equal. I clapped my hands over my ears and Greyback roared, "Come on, let's go! That's the Taboo!\"

So I grabbed his arm, taking Scabior's hand, just as he Disapparated.

We came out on a narrow, desolate street, a side alley branching off a larger street. Greyback peered around one side, then the other. He pulled his head back, grinning.

"And better yet, I _know_ these people." he said, snickering. "Come on."

I tagged along behind him, Scabior close behind me. Was it just my imagination, or was he standing closer to me than usual? I was probably just imagining it.

"Act casual." I said to the others. Greyback was approaching a pair of people, talking errantly to me as if we were just a group of people leaving a bar or something. He was a pro at this.

"...and Augustus wants you to call him back when you get a chance." he said nonchalantly, his hands stuck into his pockets. I nodded. "I'll be sure to that.

I finally got close to focus on the people- one was tall and lightweight, his hair graying, looking worn; the other had vibrantly pink hair that made my eyes sting.

"Is that it?" I asked Greyback, disguising my question slyly by nodding towards the two.

Greyback nodded, and the man's head whipped around suddenly.

I knew now why Greyback had been grinning; this was Remus Lupin, one of the many people he'd turned into a werewolf. I didn't know the woman, but she must have something to do with Lupin. Probably a cousin or something.

I pulled out my wand, sliding it up my sleeve and holding it by the tip so it was hidden.

"Deveraux, Peakes, Scabior, you deal with the woman," whispered Greyback. "Akaisha and I will deal with Lupin."

Lupin had figured it out; he was looking at us suspiciously. Greyback kept walking, continuing his nonchalant chattering with me, while Peakes, Deveraux and Scabior said their goodbyes and walked the other way. He stopped when we were about twenty feet away, bending down to tie his shoe. Sparks flew out of his wand.

I heard the woman shriek in suprise, and I whirled around, whipping out my wand and firing hexes indiscrimately at Lupin while Greyback lunged, his fist colliding against Lupin's jaw. I just kept firing off, careful not to hit anybody on my side. Gn to the ground, while the other three were steadily overtaking the woman. This was going to be easy.

And then there was a flash of red light right in my face, and I lost my balance, falling backwards. My eyes rolled back into my head; it felt like my limbs were locking up. As soon as I thought I might lose consciousness, my eyes snapped back to normal and my body loosened. Stunned, it felt like, thouugh I couldn't be sure. I struggled to my feet.

Lupin and Greyback were still wrestling, and Greyback had the upper hand; Lupin had nothing on six feet five inches of sheer muscle. Didn't stand a chance.

The woman, on the other hand, had knocked out Peakes and was fighting Scabior while Deveraux tried to revive Peakes. I shot an array of jinxes at her- Greyback seemed to be handling Lupin just fine.

Then there was a crack and Greyback bellowed in agony, stumbling backwards. I spun on my heel, but Lupin was gone, and so was the woman.

Damn, this shit happened fast.

"Well, that went well." panted Scabior, sporting a magnificent bruise on his cheek. "Looks like we're losing our touch."

Greyback snarled a stream of obscenities. "Gonna have to work at it. Godfuckingdammit."

I laid a hand on his arm. "It's fine. We'll get back at 'em."

I looped an arm under Peakes's shoulder's, pulling him up. "Let's head back."

Greyback nodded, pulling Deveraux, Peakes and I towards him. I grabbed Scabior's arm, and we Disapparated.

A/N: I'm doing badly with this story, lol.

Big thanks to XxBellatrixLestrange917xX for the review and fave, and Annika Kisha for the fave. It means a lot to me!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter VIII

"We've got a new task," Greyback told us the morning after our failed attempt to snatch Lupin and his female companion. "The Dark Lord wants Ollivander, and he wants us to go get him."

"Why does Vol- er, You-Know-Who want an old wandmaker?" asked Peakes curiously, brushing some sandy hair out of his eyes.

"Beats me. But we're going to go get him, 'kay?"

There was a general murmur of assent. I knelt down to fill the kettle with water for tea, about to set it over the fire.

"Do you want any help?"

I looked up at Scabior, smiling at him. "No, I- actually, could you go get the teabags?"

He nodded, disappearing into the tent. I reveled upon his offer as I set the kettle over the fire. He hardly ever offered to help; he was notoriously lazy when we weren't on the job.

Scabior came back with a handful of teabags, setting them next to me and leaning against the tent pole. "Thanks." I Summoned the cups rather than have him go get them, catching two in each hand.

Once water was in the cups and tea was in the water, I sat next to Scabior, hugging my legs to my chest with my cup of tea. It was bitter, but it was all we had. We were a little short on money at the time, and there were only so many opportunities to steal. Deveraux had already gotten into a tight spot with a shop owner in Diagon Alley when he'd been caught trying to steal a loaf of bread. Good thing he's so cute, or he'd've been in deep shit.

Scabior's fingers brushed my arm as he got up, and a shock swept through my veins, like he was electrically charged or something. What kind of feeling was that?

I dumped the rest of my tea into the fire, finding myself uninterested in it. I didn't like tea anyway. Instead, I rested my head on my knees and stared at the fire, which didn't really help the burn in my throat.

We left about a half hour later, Apparating into Knockturn Alley. I shuddered as we walked down the uneven, gloomy street- this was where it had all begun. This was the street I had run down, trying to outrun the tall, blond vampire who had changed my life entirely- who had blocked off my normal, safe path down life and left me to beat a new one out. I sped up my pace a bit.

Diagon Alley was not the bright, cheery road of my memory; it was almost as desolate as Knockturn Alley. There were no salespeople rattling their boxes of merchandise, advertising by mouth as customers went by. Part of their abscence might have been due to the abscence of customers- the few people who did wander the streets travelled in tightly knit groups, speaking in low voices and hurrying to their destination as quickly as they could.

Ollivander's was empty, but the door was unlocked and the grimy 'OPEN' sign was hanging on the door. Greyback kicked the door open, letting it bang against the window display loudly before slamming. I trailed closely behind him, putting on my empty, creepy-vampire-is-creepy look.

"Oy! Wandmaker!" Greyback yelled. "You in here? Akaisha, can you go check back there?"

"Sure." I swung myself over the counter with one hand, striding quietly down the narrow hallway, past shelves and shelves of wands.

A frail, silver-haired man was sitting at a rickety chair, his pale eyes wide and on my face.

"Who are you?" he whispered. "What do you want?"

"Never you mind." I said roughly. "You're coming with us."

I grabbed his arm; he felt like paper and glass under my palm, so easily broken. I tugged him up, and he whimpered.

"Greyback!" I called. "I need backup!"

I saw Ollivander's eyes widen even more, his lips mouthing words he was too terrified to speak.

"What, you can't take on an old man by yourself?" Greyback called down the hallway, but he came down there, smiling unpleasantly at Ollivander.

"Bet you know who this is." I told Ollivander smugly.

"I-I don't know anything!" the wandmaker cried hoarsely. "I do not- do not- _please_!"

Greyback had grabbed Ollivander, dragging him ruthlessly down the hallway. I followed behind him closely, kicking Ollivander every few steps. Deveraux leered at Ollivander, a habit of his; Peakes looked away.

"Shall we?" I said, placing myself next to Scabior.

"Yeah. Best not keep the Dark Lord waiting."

Voldemort was in the entry hall of Malfoy Manor when we got there, Ollivander protested feebly all the way.

"Ah." was all he said, smiling that awful cold smile of his. His snake was curling by his feet, its eyes glued on me. Why was that disgusting serpent looking at me? I _hated_ the thing. It was as thick as my torso and about ten times as long as me. "I knew I could count on you. Put him in the cellar."

Greyback beckoned for me to come with him, while the other three stood awkwardly in the entrance hall with Voldemort asking them the occasional question. Greyback shoved the old wandmaker down the stairs, into the freezing cellar, where he threw the man down onto the cold floor.

"Don't try anything." he snarled at Ollivander. "You do, and we _will_ know. C'mon."

Ollivander was visibly shaking as Greyback started towards the stairs with me in tow. I barely glanced back at him; I'd seen too many of Voldemort's victims to care.

When we got back upstairs, all three of the other Snatchers were looking distinctly uncomfortable; being in the room with Voldemort did that to you. Scabior looked heavily relieved to see us; Deveraux and Peakes both had their eyes on Voldemort, as if scared he was going to lash at them if they looked away.

Voldemort didn't say thank you; I guessed manners weren't in his job description. He merely stared at us, while Greyback and Lucius exchanged a few words and he ushered us out of the manor.

"That went well." Deveraux said when we were outside.

"Better than last night, you mean."

Greyback snorted. "Don't remind me of that ever again. That was pitiful."

"We'll be getting back in the game pretty soon. You-Know-Who's made attendance at Hogwarts mandatory, and he's made blood status check mandatory too. Mudbloods'll be carted off to Azkaban, and the ones You-Know-Who doesn't catch, we will." Scabior said.

Greyback nodded. "Yeah, we will."

I had no comment on this. If I got my blood, hey, I was happy. That was the main reason why I was a Death Eater- for the blood, the protection. Voldemort kept me protected from vampire hunters and provided me with the things I needed, and he kept me close to my brother. Sure, I thought Mudbloods weren't real witches and wizards- I mean, come on- but my ideas weren't the center of my placement in this war. It was always more important than that- something a lot of people had yet to learn.

A/N:...no comment.

thanks to scabiorxxx for the review and watch, and thanks to CrazyMedusa for the watch!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter IX

"It's just in the way she looks at you. I mean, come _on_."

This statement brought me up short, one hand still holding the tent flap open. I had no right to be eavesdropping on this, but somehow I couldn't pull myself away- maybe it was because there was only one _she_ that Deveraux could be talking about.

"Just drop it, Deveraux." Scabior's voice was wary, with a note of irritation in his tone.

"'Just drop it'? Are you honestly just going to blow this off?"

"I said let it go!"

"No way. I see the way you look at her, Scabior, and I'm sure you see the way she looks at you."

There was a thud, and Deveraux swore loudly. "The fuck, man! Ow!"

I had just returned from hunting; it was the night after we'd dragged in Ollivander, and a paper-fine layer of snow had powdered the ground. I'd walked in from the bitter cold to Deveraux and Scabior's conversation, and when I'd realized it was me they were talking about, remained glued to the spot, knelt down on one knee, my hands frozen on the laces of my boot.

"I don't _look_ at her!" hissed Scabior indignantly.

"Yes you do. You watch her sometimes. Even Peakes's noticed, and usually Peakes wouldn't notice if someone hit him in the face with a sledgehammer."

Scabior sighed. "You two gossip like teenage girls."

"That's beside the point. You can't push something like this aside."

"She doesn't care about me. She's a bloodsucker. She's got better things to do."

Inbetween the confusion and welling nervousness, there were the vague stirrings of hurt at the sudden sharpness of Scabior's voice. _Bloodsucker_.

"She's not a _bloodsucker_. That's not very nice." Deveraux scolded, as if he could read my mind.

"Whatever. She doesn't care about shit."

"Yes, she does. What is your _problem_?" Deveraux sounded angry now.

"My problem is that you're pestering me. If I want her to know, I'll tell her. I forbid you to say a word to her, Jacob Deveraux."

"You had better tell her. You won't let this ruin your life."

"Fuck off. This is my life, not yours."

I made myself visible from the shadows, doing so as noisily as possible. Scabior stood up, whirling around to look at me. Those cold eyes met mine, and I couldn't find it in me to look away.

Deveraux smirked, lounging on the couch, and he nudged Scabior's leg with his foot.

"Hey." he drawled, cocking his head to the side so a few strands of dark hair fell over his eyes.

"Hi," I said hesitantly, throwing my coat onto the floor beside my shoes. I sat on the couch by Deveraux's feet, picking up my much-abused copy of _Romeo and Juliet_. I hadn't been all too interested in Shakespeare, but Romeo and Juliet had a certain appeal to me. It might have been the conflict between the Capulets and the Montagues, or maybe how Romeo and Juliet had met each other so suddenly, and then would have died for each other within a day of meeting each other...love like that was impossible in the real world. It didn't work like that. Maybe it was the make-believe that drew me in.

Scabior grabbed his wand from the arm of the couch, right beside me; his fingers brushed my arm as he took it, and there was another shock straight through my body, strongest at the point where our skin met. I forced my eyes to remain on my book, forced myself not to look up at him.

What did Scabior see when he looked at me, anyway? Did he see what I saw every time I looked in the mirror- long, messy dark red hair, pale skin, disturbing crimson eyes? Was it possible that he saw more than that.

I could pretend I didn't understand what Deveraux and Scabior had been talking about, but I was in too deep to do that. Because I knew exactly what they had been talking about.

_. I see the way you look at her, Scabior, and I'm sure you see the way she looks at you._

Well, fine. If Scabior had something to say to me, he could tell me. He was a man. He had the balls to tell a woman something. Let him blur our weird relationship even more.

I slammed the book shut. I couldn't read, not with my thoughts a sticky, jumbled mess like this. I curled my feet to my chest, frowning at the floor.

Did Scabior really feel something for me? I had never considered love before. It was kind of silly to me, just those disgusting little carnation hearts and roses and that mushy crap.

But love, love in a realistic sense, was something I had never thought of before. I had never thought anyone could love me. Who would love a vampire, anyway?

The thought stirred a strange, unfamiliar feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was warm, almost bubbling, like I'd downed a whole gallon of butterbeer.

Could Scabior- dark, sarcastic Scabior- love me, ridiculous as that was?

Did I love him?

Oh, this was confusing. No wonder half the world didn't bother with this shit.

A/N:

:D thank you all so much for the reviews! i love you all!

I could get into a very detailed description of Akaisha, but since that's terribly boring, I'm just going to give you her actress: Ariana Grande.

I suck at ending chapters.


	10. Author's Note PLEASE READ

A/N: Hello, lovely reviewers!

Yes, unfortunately, I have no chapter ready. :( I'm so sorry for the wait, but school starts in 4 days, and this is going to be my first year back to school after two years of homeschooling, so I'm busting my butt trying to get my shit together for 8th grade.

But, to keep you guys appeased (maybe), I'm going to be putting up character profiles and just little tidbits for this story on my LiveJournal, so you are more than welcome to check that out. If you're going to comment on my LJ, I'd love it if you told me the FanFiction name you reviewed under so I know who you are. :)

Love you all! I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can!

Link for my LJ: .com/


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